Since his arrival in Maranello in 1987, John Barnard had never been particularly liked within the Ferrari environment, due to his reserved character and especially his decision to work from Guildford in England. Tensions with Fiat management worsened completely before the 1990 season, and the English engineer, having already completed the design of the new Ferrari 641 F1, later renamed F1-90, moved to Benetton, leaving the development of the car to newcomer Steve Nichols. Nichols arrived at Ferrari after ten years as chief designer at McLaren and worked alongside the engineers who had already contributed to the car, Enrique Scalabroni and Henri Durand. Under the supervision of sporting director Cesare Fiorio, the three completed the development of the new car, which essentially carried forward the innovative solutions introduced with the previous 640 model, but with significant improvements, particularly in terms of reliability.
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| FERRARI F1-90, Alain Prost Interlagos, Brazilian GP 1990 |
One of the strengths of this car was the simplicity of its design, typical of Barnard’s creations, very effective aerodynamically thanks to its harmonious lines, which made additional aerodynamic appendages unnecessary. Visually, it closely resembled the previous 640, but with softer and less angular lines, especially in the newly designed nose and the side air intakes for cooling, while the air intake in the roll-bar remained more or less unchanged. Due to the beauty and harmony of its form, the F1-90 remains the only racing car and one of just six automobiles overall, to be included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The sidepods had an especially harmonious "violin-case" shape, with a very rounded form that widened from the side air intakes to about three-quarters of the way down the car before narrowing toward the rear end, forming the classic “bottle-neck” shape ending at the gearbox housing.
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| FERRARI F1-90, Alain Prost Monza, Italian GP 1990 |
The wings were not oversized, particularly compared to competitors like McLaren's rear wing, which indicated the car’s excellent aerodynamic efficiency, both in the bodywork and in the rear diffuser profile. The F1-90 also featured innovative push-rod suspension with torsion bars and a very rigid and lightweight carbon and Kevlar monocoque chassis. From the third race of the season, the San Marino Grand Prix, a slightly revised version by Scalabroni and Nichols debuted, featuring a more rounded nose and no longer the “duckbill” shape. The height of the sidepods was also modified to improve thermal dissipation. The gearbox was an evolution of the 7-speed semi-automatic already used on the 640, still operated via two paddles behind the steering wheel, but with improved reliability thanks to new electro-hydraulic actuators. The engine fitted on the F1-90 was the Ferrari type 037, a 65° V12 with a displacement of 3497.96 cc capable of producing up to 710 hp at 13,800 rpm, less powerful than Honda’s main V10 rival but much more balanced and smooth in operation, eliminating the need for balance shafts. Along with new metal alloys and titanium (used for the first time in a Formula 1 engine), this contributed to weight reduction. The cylinder head had five valves per cylinder, a complex solution due to the crowded intake and exhaust ports in the small chambers of the 12-cylinder engine, and one that was eventually abandoned during the season in favor of the more traditional four-valve configuration.
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| FERRARI F1-90, Alain Prost Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1990 |
For the 1990 season, the drivers were new arrival and reigning World Champion Alain Prost, who greatly assisted Ferrari engineers in fine-tuning the new car, and returning British driver Nigel Mansell. After a difficult start to the season, with just one win and five retirements in the first four Grands Prix, Ferrari regained competitiveness and reliability from the fifth round onward, achieving several podium finishes and notably three consecutive wins with Prost. Thanks to these, the Frenchman re-entered the title fight with his rival Senna. Unfortunately, internal rivalry with Mansell likely intensified over the season, culminating at the Portuguese Grand Prix when, at the start, the Englishman squeezed his teammate toward the pit wall, forcing him to lose five positions, positions that ultimately prevented Prost from finishing ahead of Senna, while Mansell comfortably won the race.
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| FERRARI F1-90, Nigel Mansell Adelaide, Australian GP 1990 |
Prost remained in contention for the title until the penultimate round in Japan, where Senna, despite starting from pole, had a poor start and was overtaken by Prost. At the first corner, the two collided and ended up in the escape road, retiring from the race. Following the controversy from the previous year, also in Japan, the Federation chose not to intervene and judged the contact as a racing incident, effectively handing the title to Senna. Despite this, the F1-90 allowed Ferrari to return to the top of Formula 1, finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship with 110 points. The team achieved six wins (five by Prost and one by Mansell), equaling McLaren’s record, along with five second places, three third places, three pole positions, and five fastest laps in the race. Prost finished second in the Drivers’ Championship with 71 counted points (out of 73 total), behind Senna, while Mansell placed only fifth with 37 points.
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